What do I make with my slow cooker?
* Dried beans. I prefer this over cooking dried beans on the stovetop because it eliminates the need for overnight soaking and watching the stove for two hours. I make a big batch and then freeze it in portions.
* Grains like barley and farro. They doesn't take as long as beans - only a few hours. Again, I make a lot to freeze and have some on hand.
* Tomato sauce - recipe coming soon
* Pulled pork or any large cut of meat that benefits from braising, like pot roast or lamb shoulder
* Granola
* Oatmeal - I've been on an overnight steel cut oats kick lately, but I hear you can make them in a slow cooker too.
And most of all, soup. I've been making slow cooked soup a lot lately, since my stove wasn't working for couple weeks in September while they repaired a gas leak in my apartment (typical of old Park Slope brownstones that formerly had gas lighting). The great thing about soups and stews is that you can really use any combination of beans, meat, vegetables and grains that you have on hand, and it will probably taste decent.
Here are some slow cooker soups I've made in the past:
* Farro, kale and bean soup - terrific with poached egg on top
* Lamb and vegetable stew
* Vegetarian baked beans
* Beef, sweet potato and barley stew - this was a favorite last winter and I'll have to recreate the recipe
More recently, this two-bean quinoa chili is my favorite soup invention - I've already made it twice this month. You want to cook it until the tomatoes seem to melt into the broth and the beans are tender and salty. The quinoa thickens it, while the kale provides some texture and color, and the jalapeno and spices generate an overall spicy heat. It's great for warming your insides on these chilly fall nights when your landlord hasn't turned on the heat yet.
Crockpot Two Bean Quinoa Vegetarian Chili
1/2 cup dried black beans or 1 can cooked beans
1/2 cup dried white beans or chickpeas or 1 can cooked beans
1/2 cup quinoa
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 jalapeno peppers
4-5 tomatoes
a few stalks of kale (not a full bunch)
4 cups vegetable stock
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
2 bay leaves
Place the beans and quinoa into the crockpot. Dice the onion, garlic and peppers, followed by the tomatoes and kale (discard kale stems for best results). Place the vegetables over the dry ingredients. Add the stock and spices and stir it together (see below). If using dried beans, cook on low for 7-8 hours. If using canned beans, cook on high for about 4 hours. Makes 4-6 servings
Crockpot Pro-tips:
* I like to stir it only roughly, leaving the dry ingredients primarily on the bottom with the vegetables primarily on the top. This ensures that the beans and grains are all submerged in liquid and will cook fully and evenly. Toward the end (after about 5 or 6 hours) I stir it all together.
* I like to start my crockpot on high for the first hour or so, which gets it warm quickly, and then turn it to low after that, since it will hold in the heat.
